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Who should win the Jack Adams?

One week from now, the NHL will have one more (half) weekend of regular season action before the playoffs begin. Other than the start of the hockey season – when hope abounds for not only 16 teams, but all 30 – that’s the best time of year for me. I have no adequate segue to take me into this week’s mailbag, but hey, when you’ve made it this far, you have to parcel out your energy wisely to steel yourself for the post-season grind. As always, thanks for your questions.

Adam, There are numerous coaches in the NHL who are in the running for the Jack Adams Award. Which three would you nominate and who do you think will win the award?Russell Friday, Kashechewan, Ont.

Russell,

I’m going to delve deeper into this very good question in an upcoming edition of the magazine, but suffice to say, there is no easy answer to it.

Now, I’m sure some of you just read the above sentence and began ranting in your inner voice about Ken Hitchcock and the astonishing job he’s done since taking over for Davis Payne in St. Louis. I’m not here to belittle that at all.

Rather, I want to point out other worthy candidates to show how difficult the decision really is. Are you telling me Nashville’s Barry Trotz – who never has won the award despite making more lemonade out of comparative lemons than all the juice companies on earth – isn’t deserving? What about Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock? All he’s done this year is establish a new league record for a home winning streak – and he’s also never been recognized for all the excellent work he’s done in Detroit.

But the list doesn’t end there. Ottawa’s Paul MacLean has earned a whole bunch of merit based on his work with the surprising Senators. Phoenix’s Dave Tippett, who won the Adams in 2010, has once again turned a team with low expectations into a playoff contender. Dallas’ Glen Gulutzan has done the same thing with the Stars in his rookie season as an NHL coach and Kevin Dineen has done the same thing with the Florida Panthers. There also are arguments to be made for the Rangers’ John Tortorella, New Jersey’s Peter DeBoer and Pittsburgh’s Dan Bylsma.

That’s a full one-third of the league with coaches who’ve done praise-worthy work. Hitchcock may indeed wind up winning the Adams, but to say he’s the only one who should get it is to ignore the reality of how competitive the race really is.

Hey Adam. Given the current state of both Montreal and Toronto, which team do you think will make the playoffs first? And which of those teams do you think will be first to win Lord Stanley? Finally, which Canadian team will be first to win the Cup?Paul Persin, Regina, Sask.

Hey Paul.

In the pre-season, I picked the Leafs to finish slightly ahead of the Canadiens. I had Toronto sneaking into the playoffs with the eighth Eastern Conference seed and Montreal in ninth. For the first four months of the season, I felt pretty good about that estimate. Then February happened to the Leafs and they completely collapsed the way Minnesota did in the West.

That said, I still think Toronto has more depth on offense than the Habs, who clearly have better goaltending. Saying one team’s defense corps is markedly better than the other isn’t accurate; both squads have good, young blueliners (P.K. Subban in Montreal, Jake Gardiner in Toronto) and veterans (J-M Liles with the Leafs, Josh Gorges with the Canadiens) who have something considerable still to give. Neither franchise has the kind of salary cap space for a complete makeover, so I don’t expect either to vault to the top of the Northeast Division next year.

Regarding your who-gets-the-Cup-first question: So many things can happen along the way that can alter any team’s ability to contend for a championship, so attempting to predict what will come to pass is simply folly. (That said, there is no Canadian team other than the Vancouver Canucks with a genuine chance to win it all, both this year and in the next couple seasons, so they’d be my guess.)
Hi Adam. In the salary cap world, it seems there is a small window for teams to win the Stanley Cup and you need effective, cheap, entry-level talent to do it. As a fan though, it's hard to see talented players, that your team drafted, walk away because of the cap. Do you think there is any chance the new collective bargaining agreement will facilitate a reduced cap hit for players that play on the team that drafted them? Is this something that has ever been discussed?Cory Smid, Edmonton

Hi Cory,

I know where you’re coming from, but let’s make this clearer for those who don’t: you’re not suggesting teams pay less money to the players they drafted, you’re suggesting that a percentage of their salary not count against the cap. That’s something like the NBA has done with its “Larry Bird exception,” which allows teams to exceed the upper cap limit in re-signing their own players without penalty.

Will that happen in the NHL? It’s possible, but I don’t know it’s likely. Small-market teams would rightfully see that as a way for big-market teams to unlevel the playing field, but if NHL Players’ Association head Don Fehr can convince that type of move – in return for increased revenue-sharing – there may be a way to make everyone happy.

I agree: you do want to reward franchises that develop their assets wisely. But there are numerous considerations that factor into the bigger picture and I don’t see this one overshadowing all the others.

Adam, I couldn't help but realize that Evgeni Malkin, Hart Trophy favorite and leader of the Penguins, was five slots behind Sidney Crosby in THN’s recent Top 50 NHL players issue. Malkin is on pace for the most points in the NHL, while Crosby has only played in a handful of games. Please explain your reasoning.Ryan Rozenberg, San Jose

Ryan,

It really isn’t my reasoning, or the reasoning of anyone who works at THN, that made the list look like it did. That issue was an NHL player poll, in which our publication canvassed five players from each team and asked them who their top five NHLers were. Note, the question wasn’t who the top five were this season; it was all about overall talent level.

That’s why Crosby finished ahead of Malkin and why Pavel Datsyuk finished second. Both those players have earned the respect of their colleagues and so has Malkin. If the Russian superstar can continue to dominate, the next time we do a player poll, he’ll finish higher.

Ask Adam appears Fridays on THN.com. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

News

Coyotes’ Cunningham alert, awake and joking with teammates, but remains in hospital

There’s still no word as to what exactly caused Coyotes AHL captain Craig Cunningham to collapse on ice, but the 26-year-old was in contact with teammates and cracking jokes earlier this week.

More than two weeks after collapsing on the ice ahead of an AHL game between the Coyotes and Jets AHL affiliates, news has come that Craig Cunningham is starting to get back to his old self.

According to Tucson’s KVOA, Cunningham spoke with two teammates, Brandon Burlon and Christian Fisher, via FaceTime earlier this week, and both said that things are starting to look up for the 26-year-old Cunningham.

Fisher added that it was nice to see Cunningham, the captain of the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners, smiling again. But he wasn’t just smiling, he was also trying to have a good time with his teammates while hinting that he wants to get back on the ice.

“He was cracking jokes just as if he were here the next day," Fisher told KVOA. "It was pretty funny. He said he wanted us to come pick him up and take him to the rink. He was joking around. Stuff like that.”

The mystery still remains as to what caused Cunningham’s collapse, however. It came just moments before the game was set to start and resulted in medical staff in the building cutting away his equipment in order to attend to him. Cunningham ended up leaving the ice on a stretcher, was transported to hospital and he remained in critical but stable condition for much of the past two weeks.

Still, though, Burlon and Fisher said that there’s no “definitive answer” as to what caused Cunningham’s medical emergency. That’s more than all right with both players, too, so long as Cunningham’s health is starting to look up.

"What we do know is that he is doing well and we are moving forward here," Fisher told KVOA. "Hopefully, he will start the road to recovery now.”

Cunningham has suited up for 319 AHL games over the course of his career, netting 101 goals and 203 points, as well as scoring an additional three goals and eight points in 63 NHL games. He was drafted 97th overall by the Bruins in 2010, but was picked up by Arizona off waivers from Boston during the 2014-15 season.

News

Connor McDavid didn’t mince his words when asked post-game about Brandon Manning. He called the Flyers defenseman “classless” and said Manning admitted to injuring him on purpose.

Connor McDavid has had no shortage of head-to-head battles with young stars in the game. There has been outings against Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and more than handful per year against the Flames duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

But of all the players Connor McDavid could have had an on-ice feud with, it seems Brandon Manning is the first real rival for the Oilers phenom.

One might recall that it was during the early part of the 2015-16 campaign that Manning, a Philadelphia Flyers blueliner, got tangled up with McDavid as he looked to break in on goal, resulting in McDavid making hard contact with the boards behind the net. The impact with the boards saw McDavid break his collarbone and led to a 37-game absence for the then-rookie.

It was believed to be an unintentional act, something that simply happened as part of the game, and McDavid had even absolved Manning of any blame. That was until last night, more than 13 months after the Nov. 3, 2015 injury to McDavid..

During the Oilers’ hard-fought 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Flyers, McDavid was seen verbally jousting with Manning on a couple of occasions. The most obvious case came after a power play goal by McDavid, where he was seen skating towards Manning and shouting something in his direction.

It didn’t end there, though. Post-game, the Oilers captain went in on Manning, calling the hit that led to the broken collarbone an intentional act.

"I did all I could defending him last year in the media," McDavid said. "Everyone wanted to make a big deal saying he did it on purpose, and he wanted to say some comments today about what went on last year. I thought it was one of the [most] classless things I've ever seen on the ice. He said some things and our guys responded accordingly. I guess we can put the whole 'if he did it on purpose' thing to rest because what he said out there kind of confirmed that. Shows what kind of guy he is when he doesn’t step up and fight some of our guys.”

Shortly after McDavid commented on the incident, Manning fired back saying that he would “never intentionally hurt someone,” and added that’s not the way he plays.

"Anybody who knows me, I play a hard game,” Manning said, according to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. “That's the reason I'm here, that's the way I'm in the NHL. I'm not here to score goals like some of those guys. I think I play an honest game, and anyone who knows me knows I play hard and stuff happens out there."

John Tavares scores with a move no one had ever done before

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John Tavares scores with a move no one had ever done before

The New York Islanders captain undressed Jay Bouwmeester in the most unusual of ways, but the important thing is he kept the puck. Then he buried it

John Tavares: good at hockey.

The New York Islanders captain pulled off an absolutely stunning series of moves last night, culminating in a laser-shot goal against St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen. But let's get back to his humbling of Olympic gold medallist Jay Bouwmeester, because that's where the real magic happened.

Witness, as Tavares puts his stick behind his back and grabs it with his other hand while still skating and fending off Bouwmeester. Then, since he is a patient boy, Tavares waits and waits and waits before firing one top corner on Allen:

As the soccer folks would say, lovely. New York would go on to beat the Blues 3-2, with Anders Lee scoring the other two goals for the Isles. After struggling to begin the season, New York is now 6-2-2 in its past 10 games. Tavares leads the squad with 21 points through 26 contests.

Prospect Need to Know: Brett Murray growing for Buffalo

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Prospect Need to Know: Brett Murray growing for Buffalo

The budding power forward is having a successful season with USHL Youngstown, with Penn State on the horizon. Learn about him and other future NHLers in our weekly wrap

The world junior camp rosters are really rolling out now and there have been some minor surprises. Sweden will not be taking a last look at 2017 draft prospects Timothy Liljegren and Erik Brannstrom on defense, while Russia is taking a pass on Columbus pick Vitalii Abramov, among others. And now we know that Nolan Patrick will not suit up for Canada, due to injury. But let's concentrate on the player around the prospect world that are having good weeks. As always, here's our wrap-up of who is making waves.

The Spotlight

Brett Murray, LW (Buffalo): We are just beginning to see what Murray is capable on the ice, but it's been a pretty good show already. The burgeoning power forward has the right frame at 6-foot-5 and 222 pounds and has put up 16 points in his first 22 USHL games with the Youngstown Phantoms. Now it's just a matter of speed for the Sabres' fourth-rounder.

“Being a bigger guy, my acceleration and quickness off the start is something I can work on," Murray said. "Always improving top speed in open-ice skating is a huge thing.”

With that foreboding frame, Murray can grow into a force once he puts it all together. The early results are encouraging and he already has championship experience from this past season, when he helped the CCHL's Carleton Place Canadians win their Jr. A title in Ontario's Ottawa region. In Youngstown, he's facing tougher competition and the stakes will rise again next year when he heads to Hockey Valley and the NCAA's Penn State Nittany Lions.

“It just seemed like the right fit," Murray said. "They have a new state-of-the-art facility and as a progression for me, just being in the gym every day with an elite strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist seemed like the best for me.”

So if everything goes according to plan, Buffalo will have a beast of a left winger once Murray is finished in the NCAA. He's already got the instincts to be a handful.

“I like to work the puck down low in the corners," he said. "Use my size and skill to create space for my linemates and myself.”

And with the World Jr. A Challenge coming up in Bonnyville, Alta., Murray is proof of what that tournament can do for a prospect that isn't necessarily on the mainstream radar. Murray played for Canada East last season and soaked in everything he could from international duty.

“I really enjoyed it," he said. "It was an excellent experience, matching myself up against top prospects from other countries and even my linemates.”

In The Pipeline

Sergei Zborovskiy, D (NY Rangers): Games don’t get much better than the seven-pointer Zborovskiy hung on poor Prince Albert in his Regina Pats’ 12-2 destruction. The big-bodied defenseman was all over the place, jumping into scoring positions and getting pucks to the net. He has also been invited to Russia’s final world junior camp.

Carter Hart, G (Philadelphia): It seems like I’m mentioning Hart a lot lately, but I can’t help it because he refuses to give up goals. Using structure and technique, the favorite heading into Canada’s WJC camp posted three straight shutouts before Medicine Hat finally dented the armor in his most recent game. Hart still got the win, though.

Guillaume Brisebois, D (Vancouver): Canada has a lot of options on the blueline, so it will be interesting to see if Brisebois can snag a spot. The Charlottetown Islanders rearguard has great size and skating ability, helping him to 17 points through 23 games. But he can also use his tools to shut players down and that might be his key to making the world juniors.

Henrik Borgstrom, C (Florida): He’s been great all year for NCAA Denver, but the announcement of Finland’s world junior roster gives us another reason to mention the speedy and talented freshman. Borgstrom has 16 points through 14 games with the Pioneers and Finland will need his offense with so many big names from last year’s squad unavailable.

Caleb Jones, D (Edmonton): Team USA named its preliminary world junior roster on Monday and it's looking like a solid crew. But who will step up on defense with so many options? Jones is one candidate, as his combination of physicality and skill make him dangerous. The Portland Winterhawks rearguard has an impressive 25 points in 28 WHL games this year.

2017 Draft Stars

Robert Thomas, C – London Knights (OHL): Thomas had one heckuva coming out party on the weekend, racking up five points for the Knights in a 6-2 win over Flint. Strong on his skates and blessed with some fantastic offensive moves, Thomas now has 30 points in 27 games on a deep team.

Owen Tippett, RW – Mississauga Steelheads (OHL): There is so much to like about Tippett’s game, from his size (6-foot-2, 204 pounds) to his skating to his shot. All of those were in full gear against Ottawa on the weekend, where Tippett popped in four points in a 6-3 victory.

Lias Andersson, C – HV 71 (SHL): One of three draft prospects to make Sweden’s final WJC camp roster, Andersson plays an excellent two-way game and already has chemistry with Carl Grundstrom and Elias Pettersson on the international stage. Back with HV 71, Andersson is one of the top-scoring junior-aged players in the SHL with eight points in 22 games.

Jayson Dobay, D – Thayer Academy Tigers (Mass. HS): An excellent skater with great offensive instincts, Dobay is a UMass commit and one to watch in the New England prep ranks this season. With six assists in his first three games for the Tigers, his campaign is off to a great start.

Jesse Bjugstad, D – Stillwater Ponies (Minn. HS): When you think of Minnesota high school defensemen, finesse and skating usually comes to mind. But Bjugstad can also play the game with an edge. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has great NHL pedigree (dad Scott, cousin Nick) and has kicked off the season with two goals in two games.